What is the purpose of repurposing?

After a week of listening to the NPR/Slate co-production “Day to Day“, I have to say that I don’t get it.

When I first heard the show, I thought, “What is this and why are they doing it?” When I heard the multiple credits to Slate salted throughout the show, things became more clear. NPR already does two or three hours of this kind of stuff, and “Day to Day” just seems forced.

When compared to the freshness of “This American Life”, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”, or even “Talk of the Nation”, “Day to Day” reminds me of those clip shows the network magazines make for the airlines.

I suppose it’s a milestone of sorts, as the first online publication repurposed for radio. But if you believe you were put on this earth for a purpose, it’s probably wasn’t for repurposing.

It also makes me realize how far online publishing has to go. It’s still mostly repurposed print material. Individuals are already producing sites that are as exciting as “This American Life”, but with the possible exception of Salon, no one’s doing it on large scale.

Maybe it’s simply beyond the abilities of corporate media to produce anything that lively, intelligent or engaging. But I’d certainly like to see to big media companies use a little more imagination in their online products.